Sun Belt Rebrands with New Logo

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The Sun Belt Conference unveiled its new logo and brand today which comes after a nearly yearlong examination of the impact, sustainability and core values associated with the Sun Belt Conference.

“Together We Rise” is the new mantra for the conference and it is the foundation and essence of the contemporary logo that the league will begin using on July 1, 2013 - replacing the existing conference logo that has been in place since 1997.

Understanding market place competition and the need to standout from its competition, the Sun Belt Conference began examining and defining its brand identity and the need for a complimentary logo to embody that brand.

“The unveiling of our new logo comes after months of review of how we wanted to express the ‘new’ Sun Belt Conference,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. “It is a very exciting chance for us to display the opportunity and optimism that exists in the Sun Belt Conference as we move forward.”

The league office and its member institutions worked with SME, Inc. for the project. SME is a renowned strategic brand development firm which was responsible for the rebranding of the Pac-12 Conference and Big Sky Conference among other prominent collegiate and professional sports properties.

The overarching goal of the process was to create a bold and fresh new identity built upon a foundation of unity that corresponds to the Sun Belt Conference’s future success and also honors the foundation built over the past 37 years.

“Like many conferences, the Sun Belt is undergoing change,” said Benson. “We saw this as an opportunity to embrace this change. We are taking a new direction, one that is modern and progressive in its approach. Our conference can be as good as we want it to be and we will all ‘rise together’ in the upcoming years. Our new brand is a perfect reflection of that mindset.”

“We wanted to be sure that the Sun Belt Conference brand was a compelling representation of the values and essence at its core,” said SME Senior Partner Ed O’Hara. “’Together We Rise’ became a driving vision for expressing member school’s collective desire to achieve greatness while positioning the conference as a united force to be reckoned with on the national stage.”

SME conducted a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative brand research project on behalf of the Sun Belt. The purpose of this research project was to present an evolved brand identity that helps point the brand forward into a new era of success and relevancy to stakeholders, uncover the unique and ownable assets of the Sun Belt that will enable it to stand apart, create a powerful set of unifying messages, and express brand findings in new and motivating ways, garnering higher esteem, awareness and prosperity for members. Key stakeholder participants included presidents, athletic directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletic representatives, current students, student athletes, alumni and media.

“Great universities stir great emotions and the Sun Belt Conference is composed of great universities committed to moving our league forward,” said Sun Belt Conference President and Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. “I am excited about the future for the Sun Belt Conference and this excitement is reflected in our new logo and brand campaign.”

The Sun Belt Conference logo is a dynamic and exciting new expression of the brand, which upholds and forwards all the promise that the Sun Belt name suggests in both opportunity and aspiration.

The logo itself highlights the sun as a powerful and iconic expression for the conference that suggests unity, strength, promise and ambition. The individual parts of the icon combine to create a unified whole and represent strength in togetherness; a foundational value at the core of the Sun Belt Conference brand. The band of blue across the diameter of the icon symbolizes the “Sun Belt” region, while dually creating the feeling of a sun breaking the horizon at the dawn of a new day.

Sun Belt Conference institutions will also feel ownership in the logo, as it has been designed in all of the school’s official colors. The new logo will appear on uniforms, fields and playing courts in each university’s colors.

Research showed that the Sun Belt Conference brand essence centers around four key principles:

· AMBITIOUS - Our limitless ambition is captured by our essence, “Together We Rise,” and fueled by a fearless passion for competition.

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Re: Sun Belt Rebrands with New Logo

TV Contract may be short lived…only a one year extension deal at present:

Extension of Sun Belt Network Partnership Announced

DESTIN, Fla. – The Sun Belt Conference, Cox Sports Television (CST) and Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) today announced a one year extension of the Sun Belt Network – a partnership of the league and the two regional sports networks that has been in place since 2008.

The agreement between the three parties will result in the continuation of broadcasts for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball and softball contests for the 2013-14 sports season.

“Our relationship with CSS and CST is an important one and I am glad to see it continue as we are always looking to gain television exposure for our member institutions,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. “This extension guarantees us the opportunity to showcase the Sun Belt on two prominent regional sports networks.”

For the upcoming season the Sun Belt Network will air seven high-definition football broadcasts as part of a minimum of 39 broadcasts that the network will air. The Sun Belt Conference may seek distribution with providers outside of the footprint those two networks reach. Contests are often available on ESPN3.com and ESPN GamePlan outside of the CSS and CST markets.

“We are very excited to continue our Sun Belt Conference relationship,” stated CST Head Rod Mickler. “The partnership of the Sun Belt Conference, CSS and CST continues to bring year round exposure to the great athletic programs and member institutions of the SBC."

“CSS is pleased to continue our partnership with the Sun Belt Conference for the 2013-2014 season,” says Mark Fuhrman, Vice President and General Manager of CSS. “CSS has been offering Sun Belt games since 2002 and we look forward to continuing this partnership.”

Since its inception in 2009 and including the upcoming season, the Sun Belt Network will have aired over 150 Sun Belt contests.

About CSSCSS is a 24-hour sports network carrying a full slate of college sports programming. The channel offers a comprehensive sports lineup throughout the year including over 40 live college football games. In addition, CSS broadcasts over 165 men's and women's live college basketball games and over 80 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the south. For more information on CSS, or to find out how you can get CSS on your cable system, log on to css-sports.com.

About CSTThe New Orleans-based sports network launched on October 28, 2002 in front of 450,000 Louisiana viewers. CST has grown over 400% to 2 million in the nearly 11 years since launch, making it one of the fastest growing regional sports networks in the south. The 24-hour regional sports network is currently carried in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Virginia. CST is owned and operated by Cox Communications Louisiana, LLC. Initially targeted to be a Louisiana sports network, CST has secured collegiate, professional and high school events that have expanded the networks reach throughout the south. CST boasts over 300 live events per year including the New Orleans Saints, LSU Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks, Southeastern Conference, Sun Belt Conference, Tulane University, Louisiana high school events, Southern University in Baton Rouge, Big East, Big 12, WAC, Gulf South Conference, A-Sun Conference and the New Orleans Zephyrs.